Gazing at the butler, they looked at each other.

"Good morning, Maria," came from her side, accompanied by the same gentle smile as always. Usually, she would perceive this gesture as a sign of friendliness, but after the conversation with Isabella, she began to interpret it differently.

Realizing that they were alone, Maria felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Curse!" Maria internally screamed, feeling her heart pounding. "I planned not to run into him. But what if someone sees us together?" Decisively glancing around, her gaze wandered through secluded corners, as if she were trying to find a way out of this awkward situation. Noticing that there was no one around, her gaze returned to Matthew. Feeling the awkwardness of the moment, her face flushed, and, swallowing a lump in her throat, she uttered hesitantly, "H-hi."

“Why did you leave so abruptly yesterday?” he asked quietly, staring into her eyes as if trying to find an answer. The tension in the air became almost palpable. She could feel her heart pounding, like a bird in a trap. Her eyes restlessly scanned his face, and she unconsciously began to nervously rub her hands together. Matthew, in turn, as if sensing her internal rebellion, sighed deeply, and his eyes momentarily darkened, as if reflecting some deep pain. Without waiting for an answer, he said, "Well, you don't have to reply, but if you're tired of my company, just say so."

He turned to the painting to remove it and suddenly felt her hand touch his shoulder. In that moment, an electric charge ran through their bodies, piercing both of them. For a moment, Matthew froze, staring at her delicate fingers holding his hand. Then, slowly shifting his gaze, he met her excited eyes.

Maria's heart stopped as if she felt the magic of the touch for the first time. In that moment, every cell in her body awakened, and she felt warmth spreading through her. A thin trembling sigh escaped from her chest when she realized her action, and at the same moment, she recoiled her hand.

With excitement in her voice, she whispered, "No, it's not like that!" After these words, Maria stepped back, feeling something unknown hiding under her skin. Biting her lips, she felt the color of invisible shyness flooding her face.

"Just..." she tried to start a sentence, but her voice trembled, sounding incredibly weak and fragile. She wanted to clarify everything, but she didn't understand how to do it without making a complete fool of herself.

Seeing how difficult it was for her to explain, he, as before, smiled gently and interrupted, "You don't have to continue. That's enough for me."

A light surprise flickered in her eyes.

"What did he mean by that?" she thought. Not expecting this, her face flushed even more intensively, and, agreeing with his words, she simply nodded, as if submitting to inner embarrassment. After that, Matthew turned around, removed the painting, and said in a cheerful and easy voice, "Lead the way."